Means for controlling specific gravities



Mani! 43- J. GALAIN ENA Y UESADA 2,3

MEANS FOR CONTROLLING SPECIFIC GRAVIIIES Filed march 28. 1940 2Sheets-Sheet 1 T Fl- MARIANO JOSE GALAINENA Y ciuqsAoA Qy his aiivrneys'March 1943- M. J. GALAINENA Y QUESADA 2,314,822-

Hams FQR CONTROLLING sPEcIFI GRAVITIES Filed march 28, 1940 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Invenior I MARIANQ JOSE CALAINENA Y QUESADA 6y hisafz-arneys atented Mar. 23, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT oF lcs MEANS-FOR.CONTROLLING sracnuc oaavrrms Mariano Jos Galainena y Quesada, Habana,Cuba Application March 28, 1940, Serial No. 326,505

' Claims. (C-l. 137 -78) .movements of a balanced container containing aconstant volume of the fluid, which is continually replaced andrefreshed by constant flow of the fluid through the container.

Another object of my invention is to provide an apparatus of the abovetyp with means for preventing the accumulation of sediment in thecontainer while constantly renewing the liquid therein.

Other objects of my invention will become apparent as the invention isdescribed in connection with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic layout of one form of myinvention as applied to apparatus for maintaining the specific gravityof liquid resulting from the crushing of sugar cane;

Fig. 2 is a detailed view of a unit for containa pump anddischarged throanother pipe 21 to the-bagasse matt just after it leaves the rolls l2. v

The container 28 is mounted by a bail-like bracket on one end of a scalebeam 32. On the other end of the beam 32 is mounted a coupterweight 34.The weighted end of the beam'is anchored by a spring 36 to a fixedsupport. The scale beam pivots about a fulcrum 38. 1

The container is designed to be kept. full to overflowing by'a constantinflow in excess of the out-flow. For this purpose, the container 28 isprovided with an over-flow lip 280 which may be formed by turning outthe upper edge of the container 28. Also, the bottom of the container'28is tapered to a-central outlet 28b. 2 The juice is delivered into thecontainer 28 by means of the ing a predetermined and constant volume ofthe liquid whose specific gravity constant;

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic layout of my invention as applied to apparatusfor maintaining constant the specific gravity of syrup resulting fromthe processing of defecated juice in a sugar-juice evaporatingapparatus.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1 illustrates the invention as appliedto a sugar crushing mill in is to be maintained which four sets of sugarcane crushing rolls, di-

agrammatically illustrated, are designated by the numerals l8, l2, l6and I6. the cane passes through th first three mills i0, i2 and H, theraw sugar juice is squeezed out and caught in a receptacle or pan l8beneath the mills and runs by gravity through a drain pipe 20 to a pump2 I,

which delivers to a pipe 22. This pipe 22 discharges the main portion ofthe juice to the juice small bypass pipe 26 through a transverse headeron the end thereof and located within the container. From the ends ofthe transverse header parallel delivery outlet pipes rise, their endsbeing below the top of the container.

In operation, the flow of liquid into the container 28 through theoutlet 26b and 26c is greater than the amount of liquid flowing out ofthe discharge outlet 28b so that the container 28 is always kept, full.Over-flow over the lip 28a is caught in a trough 29 which may beU-shaped in cross section and annular in form so as to cooperate withthe lip 28a. The-overflow into the trough 29 may be returned to thebagasse matt and the receiver l8.

From the foregoing, it may be observed that so long as'the specificgravity of the liquid within the container'28 remains constant, thecontainer will maintain a fixed position. being counterbalanced by theweight 34 andthe anchor spring 36.

Conversely, any. variation in the specific gravity of the liquid withinthe container'28will cause a corresponding upward or downward movementof the container. I make use of this movement of the container 28 tocontrol the amount of maceration water delivered to the crushing rolls.In the form of invention illustrated in Fig. 1, this control isaccomplished by means of a photo-,electric cell arrangement to bepresently described.

Maceration water is applied to the bagasse at a. point where the bagasseleaves the rolls l4 and proceeds towards the rolls IS. The applicationof the maceration water is accomplished by delivery through a mainsupply pipe 54 which has pipe 58 may be made. The branch 56 has anelectrically operated valve 50, by means of which the amount ofmaceration water can be automatically varied. It may thus be seen that afixed amount of maceration water will be applied to the bagasse 'mattthrough the pipe 58, but the total amount will be varied by increases ordecreases in the variable amount applied through thepipe56.

The operation of valve 50 through the photoelectric cell arrangement isaccomplished by the adapted to operate a balanced valve 50 by means of alever 52 in a more or less conventional manner. The valve 50 may beconstructed so as to permit more or less liquid to pass through it asthe solenoid 48 is strongly 'or weakly energized.

effect of the evaporator. In this manner, the delivery of the juicethrough the evaporator is regulated by the quality of the syrup leavingthe evaporator. The control is automatic and maintains a constantspecific gravity of the material or syrup leaving the evaporator.

Although I have described my invention in connection with two forms ofapparatus. for treating sugar bearing materials, I do not limit theinvention to the art of sugar making. The principles of the inventionmay be applied generally to any industrial process in which the specificgravity of material leaving the process is to be maintained constant. Inany such process, my invention may be applied to control the inflow of adiluent or of the amount of raw materials to the process.

-ductors 44 and 46 to a solenoid 48 which is Many modifications withinthe scope of my invention will occur to those skilled in the art.Therefore, I do not limit the invention to the specific embodiment shownand described.

I claim: 7

1. A unit for controlling the specific gravity of solutions comprising atank for the solution From the foregoing, it will be understood thatvariations in the specific gravity of the liquid within. the container28 will cause the photoelectric cell to operate solenoid 48 and valve50,

so as to cause a greater or-lesser amount of water to be deliveredthrough the pipe 55 through the bagasse matt. Thus the apparatus may beset to maintain a substantially constant specific gravity of the juiceresulting from the crushing of the sugar cane in the mills l0, l2, l4and 5.

Referring to the form of the invention shown inFig. 3, the invention isthere applied to controlling the delivery of defecated juice to afoureffect evaporator of sugar manufacturing apparatus. In this form ofthe invention, the control means is exactly the same as that describedin connection with Figs. 1 and 2, but it is employed to control thedelivery of the defecated juice to the apparatus, rather than to controlthe deliv-' ery of a diluent.

In Fig. 3, the defecated juice comes to the first stage of themultiple-efiect evaporating apparatus through a delivery pipe Hill. Inthis pipe I00, there is an automatically operated valve 50 which iscontrolled by a solenoid 48 through a photo-electric cell 42 in the:same manner as in the previously described form of the invention. Thejuice goes through the valve 50 into the first of the four-efiects I04,I06, I08, 0 of the evaporator, and leaves the last effect through a pipement of that tank and a simultaneous variation in the operation of thephoto-electric cell 42. Thus, if the syrup becomes too heavy, thesoleadditional amount of defecated juice to the first -noid will causethe valve l42-to open to admithaving an overflow lip and an' outlettoward spring at the other end of said beam and actin counter to thetank, and means operating without physical contact with said tank,balance beam or associated parts, as the tank is caused to rise and fallby changes in the specific gravity of its contents for controlling thespecific gravity of the solution.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said operating meanscomprises a photo-electric cell, electrically controlled valve meansoperated by said cell, and means on said tank to interrupt a light beamfocused on said cell, in response to variations in the tank positioncaused by variations in the specific gravity of the tank contents.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said operating meanscomprises valve means for regulating the flow of liquid used in treatingthe solution whose specific gravity is to be controlled,

and means responsive to movement of said tank caused by variations inthe specific gravity of the tank contents to operate said valve means.

4. The means to maintain a predetermined specific gravity of solutionsissuing from an industrial apparatus comprising a liquid container, ascale beam supporting said container, means counterbalancing saidcontainer when said container is filled with liquid of predeterminedspecific gravity, means to deliver continuously to said container asample of the solution whose specific gravity is to be controlled, meansto deliver liquid to said apparatus for'varying the specific gravity ofthe solution, means to regulate the flow of saidspecific-gravity-varying liquid through said delivery means, andelectroresponsive means to operate said regulating means, saidelectroresponsive means operating without physical contact with saidcontainer,- scale beam or associated parts, as the container is causedto rise and fall by changes in the specific gravity of its contents.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the container has. an outlettoward which the. bottom of the container converges downwardly..

MARIANO JOSE GALAINENA Y QUESADA..

